


Freezing

by Celinarose



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Community: hp_drizzle, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 17:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15667965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celinarose/pseuds/Celinarose
Summary: Why are her feet always freezing, regardless of the season?!





	Freezing

**Author's Note:**

> For the HP Drizzle Fest 2018
> 
> Prompt: Why are her feet always freezing, regardless of the season?!
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this fic and I hope I did the prompt justice!

Padma looked down at her feet, encased in thick socks and dragonhide boots. Despite the covers, they felt numb, as if they were slowly freezing over. She groaned at the pain, hoping she would not get frostbite later.

There was a reason she hated the cold, wet days in London, and this was certainly it. Picking up her pace, she quickly made her way to the Apparition point, even as the snowfall increased. She pulled her coat closer at she walked, hoping that it would keep at least some of the cold at bay. She heaved a sigh of relief when she finally arrived at her destination. Then, she checked to make sure there were no Muggles nearby before she drew out her wand and disappeared with a loud crack.

Glad that she was finally free to cast a warming spell on herself in Hogsmeade, she began to tread cautiously through the snow to get to the Apothecary. The bell above chimed a cheerful welcome as she stepped inside.

Hermione, who was standing across the counter, turned to look at her. Her face immediately brightened when she saw her girlfriend.

“Missed me, did you?” she asked, teasing. Padma rolled her eyes with a smile.

“I just wanted to pay this little village a visit,” she replied, unwinding her scarf from around her neck. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

“You seem to be doing that a lot lately,” she countered, with a hint of laughter in her voice.

Padma shrugged in response. “Will you keep me waiting here or finally let me inside? My feet are freezing and a fire would be much appreciated right about now.”

Hermione nodded, smiling, and led her into the room adjoining the shop where it was much warmer. Padma sighed contentedly as they walked in.

Draco looked up from his work, surprised, as the two entered. Padma thought she saw a momentary shadow pass across Draco’s features. It was gone as soon as it appeared, and Padma began to wonder if she had simply imagined it.

Pushing her doubts away, she plastered a smile on her face as Draco greeted the them. She had never really liked the wizard. She knew that Hermione had forgiven him after he had confessed to his crimes and helped in rebuilding Hogwarts, going so far as to even open an Apothecary with him, but Padma herself did not feel quite so charitable. The war had taken her sister away from her and she doubted she would ever forget the fact.

“Please, have a seat,” he offered, if somewhat formally. His words snapped her out of her thoughts and she sat down as close to the fire as she could, slipping out of her wet shoes.

It was only later that night, once she was in her own bed that she realised that she had spent quite a pleasant evening even though she had been in Draco Malfoy’s presence, an event which contrasted strongly with her thoughts just before it. Hermione had acted as a buffer between the Ravenclaw and the Slytherin, to the extent where Padma very nearly forgot about her dislike of the wizard sitting in front of her. And as a result of not trying to find every reason to send him away from the room, she had seen him, really seen him for the first time.

With a hundred conflicting thoughts running through her head, she sighed into the dark room, and pulled her freezing toes under the covers.

* * *

Her feet were freezing. She couldn't believe it. It was the middle of summer, and even though summers in Britain were not nearly as cold as summers in India, she still knew it wasn't that cold. In fact, now that she came to think of it, she nearly always had cold, numb feet, of late. It had begun at her toes, but now it had become worse.

The other thing she couldn't believe was that she and Draco Malfoy had become almost-friends. They had been seeing more and more of each other thanks to Hermione, and Padma found she didn't mind being in the same room as him, as much as she once did.

It was just as she was thinking this, that he walked into the room, levitating a tray of tea and biscuits in from of him. Hermione followed close behind.

Padma loved these evenings with the two of them. The three would often sit down together, near a warm fire that Padma's freezing feet were grateful for, and ended up chatting for hours on diverse topics. The time would fly by and often, they would stay up quite late without realising it. She had gotten closer to Hermione, and discovered many things she hadn't known about her, despite their long friendship. As for Draco, she finally understood why Hermione was so sympathetic towards him. He was no longer the same person he used to be.

He was far friendlier, and he had let go of most, if not all, of his prejudices. He was not a terrible conversationalist, and often added humor to the atmosphere. But underneath every joke he made, Padma's perceptive eyes saw a sadness in his eyes. When he was in somewhat vulnerable moments, she could distinguish it as regret and guilt. It was the burden he would carry for a long time.

In the present evening, just like any other, the three friends quickly lost track of time, in their little conversation about everything, from the newest Muggle books, to the little known facts about firecrabs.

Padma found herself engrossed entirely, until the moment she felt herself shiver slightly. She frowned. Neither Draco nor Hermione had noticed it. She began to wonder if she was sick, and excused herself.

Once she was alone, she cast a basic diagnostic charm, but found nothing. The small mirror on top of the sink told her nothing. She looked perfectly fine. Shaking her head at herself for worrying so much over nothing, she returned to her table.

* * *

Padma was now wishing she had taken Hermione's advice. The latter had told her not to go in to work, but Padma had refused to listen, simply because she had been missing too many work days lately. She knew Hermione meant it for her well being, but she really had thought that she was feeling better. Obviously, she had been wrong.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and stop herself from shivering as she kept walking. It was only a cold, she reminded herself. A cold that had last more than a few months, the traitorous part of her mind whispered. Not that she had told Hermione, of course. She had gone to St Mungo's, once however, and they had been unable to find anything wrong with her. It was only when things had gotten much worse, that Hermione had noticed. Padma had been dismissive of her advice of constant rest. It was nothing worth taking a day off for. Padma was sure she would be fine. But somehow, she did not feel so certain about that now.

She came back to the present when she inadvertently needed to grasp onto the railing nearby to steady herself. Her legs were suddenly refusing to work. It was almost as if they were frozen stiff. They were, in fact. Her hands were doing a poor job of keeping her upright. Realising she would not be able to walk very far in this state, she reached for her wand. Her cold fingers tried to grab onto it but before she could mutter a spell, it slipped from her hand and onto the snow covered ground.

She wished Hermione or even Draco was with her. She desperately needed some warmth, some support. Her heart started beating faster as she looked around onto the deserted street, with no sign of help in sight. She bent down, her eyes focused on the wand lying some distance from her feet. As she reached towards it, her feet lost balanced and she found herself lying on the ground. She could barely move anymore.

The cold seemed to be freezing her insides with each breath. A few tears ran down her cheeks. So this is how it would end for her. This is how Padma Patil would die. She looked at the cloudy sky above, and at the snowflakes raining down on the streets. It was a beautiful sight. At least she would have that consolation, to a die a beautiful death.

* * *

Draco looked down at the apology in his hand and wished he had been brave enough to send it on time. He had always intended to send it. She deserved to know. She deserved to be alive.

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He had ruined everything. This was not how it was supposed to go. He should have saved her. He should have joined Hermione in convincing her to not let her walk out of her house in that state.

He should have learnt the counter spell to the charm before casting it. It was meant to be a harmless prank, something that would wear off in a bit. But he should have known. Blindly following his father's advice had not worked well for him so far, so why did he think it would help him succeed in getting Hermione now? Why did he think of Padma as an obstacle?

He thought he had made his greatest mistake when he joined the Death Eaters. His sole consolation had been that it was not entirely his mistake; it had been mostly Lucius'.

But this time, he had no excuse to help him sleep at night.


End file.
